Chad PregrackeTaking care to let others know how much he appreciates their hard work, volunteer efforts, in-kind contributions and monetary donations is just a natural part of Chad Pregracke’s engaging personality. Chad raises the bar on leadership, motivating others through his infectious, positive outlook and incomparable sense of humor. Founder & President of Living Lands & Waters, Chad Pregracke is living, breathing proof that one person can make a difference. The Mississippi River was literally Chad’s back yard while growing up, spending the majority of his time on, in, and around the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. During that time he noticed the condition of the rivers was getting worse due to the accumulation of trash on the shorelines. Based on his concern, Chad set out in the spring of 1997 to make a difference... one river and one piece of garbage at a time. As a result of his hard work, he founded Living Lands & Waters, the not-for-profit organization based in East Moline, Illinois, in 1998. Over the last ten years, Chad and his crew have removed five million of pounds of garbage from our nation's waterways, engaging thousands of community volunteers in helping to keep our waterways clean. Chad continues to be deserving of the more than 40 awards bestowed to him, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service. Since his start in 1997, Chad and the projects of LL&W have been filmed by CNN, Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning Show, NBC Nightly News, MTV, PBS, and more. Time, People Magazine, Readers’ Digest, Life, Outside, Smithsonian, and National Geographic are among the numerous publications in which Chad has been featured. Released in April of 2007, From the Bottom Up: One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers (National Geographic Books), chronicles Chad’s incredible journey cleaning up America’s rivers one tire at a time. The book shares Chad’s personal story and the beginning of his grassroots organization, Living Lands & Waters, which has captured America’s imagination and motivated thousands of people across the country to clean up our country’s rivers and waterways. What started as one man’s crusade has become an ever-evolving, world-wide movement to educate people and connect them with their environment. MOST REQUESTED TOPIC: His tale motivates people to take action in their own realms, whether they are into business, education, social problems or the natural environment. He also inspires people to join the causes that they support and to offer their help in ways both big and small. Chad’s presentation takes his audiences out on some of the world’s greatest rivers – a journey filled with funny stories and gripping adventures. Chad’s spontaneous delivery is refreshingly authentic and he introduces his audiences to some of the celebrities he’s met on his mission—people such as Billy Joel, Anderson Cooper, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and First Lady, Laura Bush. At the age of 22, Chad charged into his mission of cleaning America’s rivers. He started cleaning up trash along the Mississippi River near his hometown in Illinois—all alone in a small motorboat—and this solo effort has grown into a social movement. Chad’s work has inspired community efforts around America to improve our waterways through clean-ups, tree plantings and education at all levels. His single-handed effort has mushroomed in only 10 years to include nearly a dozen employees, four barges with a towboat and a fleet of workboats and trucks. He’s led clean-up efforts in areas ranging from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Washington, D.C. to the Black Hills of South Dakota. People are fascinated by the meticulous list of river junk that’s been collected over the years. Chad and his crews have removed tens of thousands of discarded tires, thousands of castaway barrels and appliances, dozens of abandoned automobiles and trucks, and even ancient farm equipment and derelict barges that were stuck in the mud. In addition to the multi-layered image of industrial waste that Chad paints with his presentation, people are amazed when he reveals the surprising “treasures” that he’s found—everything from motorcycle helmets and bowling balls (yes, they float) to possibly the world’s largest collection of “messages in bottles.” These messages contain original music, artwork, love letters, greetings, and more. As the founder and president of Living Lands & Waters—America’s only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization—Chad tells a compelling and funny story about growing up on the river and how these early life experiences led to his unique vision to clean the Mississippi River. Chad’s story begins with his childhood where his back door was literally a stone’s throw from the water’s edge. As a high school and college student, Chad worked as a commercial diver, spending hours groping in the pitch-black waters at the bottom of the river collecting freshwater mussel shells for the cultured-pearl industry. This intimate connection to the river stoked his love for the Mighty Mississippi, but it also inflamed his disgust for the garbage that littered one of America’s greatest rivers. The river environment is relentlessly real and Chad brings the same genuine honesty to his presentation. Chad’s enthusiasm is uplifting for audiences of all ages as he relates his personal conviction to clean America’s rivers. His presentations integrate the humor of the characters he has met along the way, with the dangers of wild weather, unreliable equipment and the satisfaction of missions accomplished. In addition to river restoration and community empowerment, Chad’s mission has opened up other frontiers for exploration. In 2002, Chad flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, to participate in the World Summit on Sustainable Environment. In 2005, Chad took his crew and equipment down the Mississippi River in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to help with disaster relief in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Chad’s unique tale has sparked the interest of national and international media including major TV networks, magazines and newspapers. Chad’s story has been featured in Time, Smithsonian, Outside and in Reader’s Digest magazines. Biography magazine designated Chad as one of the “Top 10 Future Classics in America” along with Julia Roberts and Tiger Woods. Chad has been covered in articles by The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post newspapers, and he has been highlighted in hundreds of local publications. Chad’s mission attracts television cameras, and he’s been featured on CNN American Voices, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Good Morning America, PBS Main Stream and numerous local stations. Most recently, he’s been featured on National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles and the Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet. In 2003, PBS produced his biography titled The River Rescuer. The international media have been drawn to Chad’s grassroots American story, and he’s been covered by television broadcasts ranging from England to Germany to Japan and Australia. His autobiography, From the Bottom Up, was published in 2007 by the National Geographic Society and has received excellent reviews. Chad has been honored with dozens of awards for his work, including the prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service. This award is America’s version of the Nobel Prize and was bestowed by First Lady Laura Bush. Other benchmark recognition includes the Social Entrepreneurship Award from the Manhattan Institute of Public Policy, the Achievement in Conservation Award presented by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Award (NOAA). Chad received an associate’s degree from Black Hawk College in Illinois and an honorary doctorate for his work in education and the environment from St. Ambrose University in Iowa. Whenever he can get away from his rigorous schedule, Chad enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, snow skiing and water skiing whenever he can get away from his rigorous schedule. From the darkness of underwater shell-diving to the brightness of open-air community clean-ups, Chad’s tale embodies the importance of setting goals (one river and one piece of garbage at a time) and illustrates how determined hard-work and persistence pays off. His mission is so simple at its core, yet universal in spirit. Whenever Chad is in the limelight, he invariably praises others with how much he appreciates their good work and their contributions to the cause. That appreciation and respect is just a natural part of Chad Pregracke’s engaging personality. Chad raises the bar on leadership, motivating others through his infectious positive outlook and incomparable sense of humor. Chad Pregracke is living, breathing proof that one person can make a difference. | ||||||||||
